Peters



v 2 sheets sheet L (No Model.)

,J. D. RIPSON, "Machine for (lovering Moldings with Cloth.

Patented March 22,1881.

lllllu (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

v J. D. RIPSONQ Machine for Covering Moldings with 010th.

No. 239,273. Patented March 22,1881.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFica.

JOHN D. RIPSON, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND THOMAS DEVENS, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR COVERING. MOLDINGSWITH CLOTH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 239,273, dated March 22, 1881. I Application filed December 20, 1880. (No model.)

1' all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN D. RIPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cam'- bridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a Machine for Covering Moldings with Cloth, of which the following-is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in in Figure 1 is a planet a machine for covering moldings with cloth constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the receptacle for containing the glue. Fig. 4is an enlarged transverse section on the linen: w of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section on the line y 3 of Fig.2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section on the line z z of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is an enlarged transverse section on the line w of Fig. 2. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are details, in perspective, enlarged.

Cloth-covered moldings are used extensively for burial-caskets, interiordecoration of houses, and a great variety of other purposes. The covering of these moldings has heretofore been performed exclusively by hand, and is an exceedingly tedious and expensive operation.

My invention has for its objectto reduce the cost of moldings of this description; and it consists in an organized machine embodying certain automatic devices for gluing the molding, applying the cloth to the upper surface thereof, pressing it down thereon, turning up its edges onto the lower surface of the mold ing, and, finally, smoothing it down on all sides and giving it a perfect finish, as will be hereinafter particularly described, whereby a material saving in time and labor is effected and the waste of glue avoided, while at the same time an article is produced much superior to that heretofore made by hand.

In the said drawings, A represents the bed of the machine, at one side of which, or in any other convenient location contiguous thereto, is placedalong narrow metallic box or receptacle, B, for containing liquid glue of the proper consistency. Within this receptacle B arranged longitudinally and centrally a curved trough 0r guideway, a, through which the strip of molding C is passed to receive a coating of glue, being held down to insure its entire immersion in the liquid glue by means ofa guide-roller, I), under which it passes.

Near one endof the receptacle B, in line with the guideway a, is secured, at an angle,

a brush, D, composed of rows 0 d of bristles, set angularly into the upper and lower por- 6o tions of the brush-stock, and of such length that their ends will come into, or nearly into, contact with each other. As the molding leaves the trough a it passes through the center of this brush, the bristles of which come into contact with its entire surface, and serve to remove the surplus glue therefrom, leaving only a thincoating of uniform thickness, as required, and avoiding waste. The, brush D is intended to be secured in place by a clamp or other suitable fastening device which will admit of its being readily removed for cleansing after use.

In suitable hearings in standards f, rising from the bed A, is supported the horizontal shaft 10 of a removable reel, E, upon which is wound the strip g of cloth which is to be used to cover the molding G, the strip 9 being of cotton, woolen, silk, or other desired textile material. 8o

' The molding having been glued by passing it through the receptacle B, as above described, the cloth is applied to its front end and pressed down thereon, after which the two are passed by hand under a guiding-spool, F, which serves to keep the cloth flat and in the proper position. The molding andcloth then pass under a curved spring-guide, G, composed of a piece of sheet metal bent as seen in Figs. 2, 4, and 8, and secured to a transverse bar, 12,. the extremity of the guide being shaped to correspond to the contour of the upper surface of the molding upon which itpresses the cloth, as seen in Figs. 2, 4, and 8, holding it down and keeping it centrally in position while it 5 passes to and beneath a vertical grooved wheel, H, by which the cloth is pressed firmly down to the lower edges of the molding, the shape of the groove 13 in the wheel H corresponding to that of the upper surface of the mold= I00 ing, so that it will exert a uniform pressure on all parts thereof, the shaft h of the wheel H being supported in bearings adapted to yield upward against the resistance of springs i i, and the surface of the groove 13 being faced or covered with rubber to render it elastic for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The molding, in its passage beneath the guide G and wheel H, is supported by grooved wheels I K, secured to horizontal shafts running in bearings beneath the under side of the bed A, the upper edges, 14, of these wheels projecting up through slots in the bed A, a little above the upper surface thereof; and by providing these bearing-wheels with a grooved instead of a flat periphery they are caused to come into contact with the under side of the molding only at the thin edges 14, as seen in Fig. 4, instead of across the entire width of the wheel, as would occur if it were flat, which latter mode would be objectionable, as it would cause the glue to be scraped off the under side of the molding or collected into lumps or masses of unequal thickness, which is avoided by the use of the grooved wheels I K. The edges of the wheels I K are oiled to prevent the glue from adhering thereto, a small quantity of oil lasting for a considerable length of time. The reel E is provided with a suitable friction device--in the present instance a stout rubber strap, 70, passing over the shaft 10, and a projection beneath (not shown)-for preventing the cloth 9 from unwinding any faster than it is required for use, thus avoiding any slackness, as might otherwise occur. The molding (J, with the cloth applied to its upper surface and hanging down below the lower edges thereof, as seen in Fig. 5, next passes between a pair of horizontally-arranged grooved wheels, L L. secured to transverse slides M, which yield laterally in their guideways in the bed A, against the resistance of springs n, which serve to keep the wheels closely in contact with the molding asit passes between them. The sides of the grooves q of these wheels are faced with rubber from 15 to 16, to render the bearing-surfaces elastic, and are of such shape as to fit over the molding, as seen in Fig. 6, so that as the latter passes between these wheels the overhanging edges of the cloth are turned up under and pressed closely against the lower surface of the molding, to which they adhere by reason of the glue thereon. The molding then passes to and between a second pair of horizontal grooved wheels, N N, similar to the wheels L L, and mounted on slides P P of the same construction as the slides M M, this second pair of wheels which are provided with grooves of the same size and shape as the grooves q, and also faced with rubber, serving to again press and flatten the cloth against the under side of the molding in case it should have failed to adhere closely at every point after passing between the first pair of wheels, L L, and holding it firmly in place until it passes to the final smoothing and finishing device, to be presently described.

Each of the wheels L N is mounted on a short vertical shaft or stud, r, which projects down from its under surface and fits snugly into a suitable bearing in its slideM or I, from which it is free to be lifted when required, which construction admits of the wheels being readily removed and replaced by others having differently shaped or sized grooves, as is necessary when moldings of different shapes or sizes are to be covered, while the lateral movement of the slides allows the wheels to yield to any inequalities in the surface of the molding, or when molding of increased width is to be passed between them, or wheels of larger diameter employed.

By facing or lining the grooves of the wheels H, L, and N with rubber, as above described, their surfaces are rendered elastic, so that when thin cloth, velvet, or crape is used as a coverin g material for the molding, the glue will not be forced or squeezed through it, as would be the case if rigid and unyielding pressure-surfaces were employed at these points.

The molding now having the cloth applied to its entire surface passes from the last pair of wheels N N, under a yielding pressure-block, It, attached to a curved flat metal spring, t, and having its under surface shaped to fit the molding, which rests upon the flat periphery of a rotating supporting-disk, S, placed beneath the bed A, and projecting up through a slot, to, a little above the upper surface thereof, the horizontal shaft of this disk S running in bearings secured to the under side of the bed A; and thus, as the covered molding passes between the pressure-block R and the disk S, its entire surface is smoothed down and a perfect finish given thereto, the entire operation of gluing the molding and applying the cloth thereto being easily and quickly performed by the above-described machine without the employment of skilled labor, while it enables me to furnish molding presenting a neater finish and a more uniform appearance than heretofore, and at a greatly-reduced cost.

Short waste pieces of cloth united by a few stitches can be wound upon the reel E, and used to advantage in this machine on account of the rapidity with which the molding is covered, whereas such short pieces could not be used economically in covering by hand, as the glue would be liable to become set on the surface of the molding before they could be properly applied on account of the length of time required in the operation.

The guide Gr, wheel H, and pressure-block It are made removable in order that they may be replaced by others of different form or size, to correspond to that of the molding to be covered.

I prefer to push the molding with the cloth through the machine by hand, as described; but, if desired, it may be carried by feed-rolls or other mechanism adapted to the purpose.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-'- 1. The glue-receptacle B, in combination with a central curved strip, a, and transverse roller 1), to hold the molding against the strip,

ICO

IIO

in combination with the frame D, set diagonally to the plane of receptacle B, and provided with rowsof bristles 0 (Z, the ends of the bristles lapping, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine forcovering moldings with cloth, the combination, with the reel E, guiding-spool F, and supporting-wheels I K, of the spring-guide G and grooved wheel H, for ap plying the cloth to the upper surface of the molding and pressing it down thereon, substantially as described. a

3. In a machine for covering moldings with cloth, the combination, with the mechanism, substantially as described, for applying the cloth to the molding and pressing it down thereon, ofthe supporting-wheels I K, having their edges grooved to prevent the removal of the glue from the under side of the molding as it passes over the wheels, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for covering moldings with cloth, the combination, with the mechanism, substantially as described, for applying the cloth to the molding and pressing it down to the lower edges thereof, of theyieldin g grooved wheels L N, adapted to turn up the edges of the cloth onto and flatten them against the under side of the molding, substantially as set forth.

5. In a machine for covering moldings with cloth, in combination with mechanism, substantially as described, for applying the cloth and pressing it down to the lower edges of the m0lding,the grooved wheels LN, mounted on yielding spring-slides M P, and made removable therefrom, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a machine for covering moldings with cloth, the combination, with the mechanism, substantially as described, for applying the cloth to the molding, pressing it down thereon, and turning its edges up onto the under side thereof, of the spring pressure-block R and supporting-disk S, forsmoothing down and finishing the surface of the molding,-substantially as set forth.

7. The herein-described machine for coverin g moldings with cloth, consisting, essentially, of the reel E, guiding-spool F, spring-guide Gr, grooved wheel H, supporting-wheels I K, yielding grooved wheels L N, pressure-block R, and supporting-disk S, the Whole combined and adapted to operate substantially as described.

Witness my hand this 6th day of December,

. JOHN D. RIPSON. In presence of- P. E. TESOHEMAOHER, W. J. CAMBRIDGE. 

